1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the medical field of hearing, in particular to medical hearing devices for persons suffering from hearing losses and hard-of-hearing.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
In a known way, such devices are generally in the form of a hearing aid that is positioned, hidden and nearly invisible, behind the ear or in the auditory meatus. This aid includes power-supply means in the form of a cell or battery, as well as means for processing the sounds perceived and for transmitting to emitting means, which it is connected to. These emitting means are in the form of a shaped earpiece, which can be made to measure, so as to be inserted into the auditory meatus. Said earpiece permits to emit the processed sounds transmitted from said aid, often while amplifying them.
Because of the insertion of the earpiece in the auditory meatus such hearing aids considerably improve the hearing of the persons wearing a device. However, they have a major drawback related to the direct contact of said earpiece with the ear wax, but also with all the dust, dirt and material particles it conveys along and out of the hearing canal. This results into a reduction of the efficiency of the earpiece and into a degradation of the hearing of the person wearing a device.
More constraining, some aids are deteriorated and returned to the manufacturer in order to be repaired or replaced, thus generating additional costs and times.
That's why the earpiece must be cleaned periodically, in order to eliminate said impurities. But the electronic components integrated in the earpiece prohibit the use of liquid for this cleaning.
A known solution is described in WO 2005/12576 relating to a device for diagnosing and cleaning a hearing aid, in particular its earpiece. Such a device permits an individual to perform at home a diagnosis of his device and to clean it periodically, without using any liquid whatsoever likely to deteriorate the electronic components forming said earpiece. Such a cleaning occurs through drying the ear wax and aspiration of the so dried particles.
To this end, heating means are arranged inside a recess for receiving said earpiece, so as to diffuse sufficient heat inside this space to dry the ear wax. These heating means are in the form of resistors or of ultraviolet radiation sources. A ventilator is added, in order to ensure a flow of the so heated air, namely in the earpiece. Therefore, the moisture content present in the ear wax is reduced until it permits the aspiration of the dried residues by a vacuum pump and their evacuation to a storage tank.
Such a cleaning device has a major drawback related to the drying of the ear wax. Indeed, though most of the dried particles are aspired by the vacuum pump, part of the residues remains, often stuck in the indentations of the earpiece.
A similar device is described in WO 98/4885, using a putting into circulation of hot air by blowing and aspiration.
Another solution has been devised through WO 2007/005748, which describes a device for cleaning hearing aids through centrifugation. In fact, said aids are placed in a compartment driven in rotation until it reaches such a speed as to subject said aids to a force in the range between 200 and 400 G. At this speed, the ear-wax particles are ejected and aspired. Ultrasound waves can also facilitate the loosing of the ear-wax particles during the centrifugation. It is thus possible to heat the enclosure between 41 and 60 degrees Celsius, so as to dry the ear wax and once again to facilitate its loosing.
According to a specific embodiment, the aid is immersed into a cleaning liquid, also put into rotation, then dried by an additional centrifugation step. However, the electronic components contained in the aid are very sensitive to moisture, so that the immersion into a liquid can cause a deterioration.
Another solution is known from US 2008/128007, which describes a device for cleaning and recharging a hearing aid. In particular, this cleaning occurs by means of a fluid, put into circulation from a chamber, until it is brought into contact with said earpiece.
In this respect, the earpiece is positioned in a recess having a complementary shape and the inner wall of which ensures a <<grip>> so as to maintain it in position, In addition, the earpiece, positioned in said recess, is arranged so that a portion of said earpiece extends downwardly through the wall of the recess. Once it has been positioned, the cleaning fluid fills the cavity located under the recess, so as to immerge only said protruding portion.
Though such a solution permits to target the cleaning at the level of the end of the ear mold of the earpiece, no evacuation or aspiration of the fluid is provided in the lower cavity during the cleaning, leaving the ear mold immersed, which results from a cleaning that is little satisfactory, longer because of the mere immersion and likely to damage the electronic components.
The aim of the invention is to cope with the drawbacks of the state of the art by providing a device for cleaning a medical hearing device, in particular its earpiece, formed of an ear mold shaped so as to be inserted into a person's auditory meatus, through liquefaction of the ear wax, then its aspiration.